Surviving The Game As A Barbarian Episode 307

The Round Table (1)

The calming scent of wood filled the study.

“Nothing’s really changed here.”

As I looked around, my eyes were drawn to one thing that had changed.

A white mask.

The very same white mask I wore during my last visit was now hanging on an empty wall.

“Is he expecting me to wear it?”

I chuckled and put on the mask.

Then, as I expected, when I opened the door and stepped outside, I saw an old man walking down the hallway in the distance.

Auril Gavis.

A mysterious figure who could hold the answers to all my questions…

“Haha, you’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.”

The old man who couldn’t hide his joy when I told him I had achieved the ‘Original Clear.’

“Have you been well? After I sent you off that day, I was so worried that something might have happened to you”.

Even though he started with a hearty laugh, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere, I couldn’t let my guard down.

I had seen it before—the head of Orcules, the Ruin Scholar, and others, all strong enough to be feared wherever they went, could only stand by and watch this old man carefully.

“I’ve been fine. But what happened to those people?”

“Those people?”

“The ones who broke the rules at the end, before I was sent away.”

It wasn’t until then that Auril Gavis nodded in understanding.

“Ah, you must be referring to those failures.”

Failures…

Through that casually spoken word, I realized that the mental chess match had officially begun.

It was obvious why this inscrutable old man would use a word like “failure” , a term that would make me wary.

“He must not have liked being dragged around by me last time.”

A twisted form of the carrot-and-stick approach.

The only difference is that the stick isn’t aimed at the target but at others.

“Don’t worry about those failures. They’re all gathered in that room. They know what will happen if they cause another commotion like last time.”

He will mercilessly use the stick to establish his authority, while showing only warmth to his target.

Yes, just like this.

“Ahem, come to think of it, I might have been a bit inconsiderate. I’m sure it didn’t sit well with you. But don’t worry too much. I know better than anyone that you’re different from them.”

Such kindness, in stark contrast to the earlier coldness.

The recipient of such kindness will start to think.

I don’t want to have a strained relationship with this person.

To avoid that, I must respond to this kindness.

Such a thought naturally forms in the subconscious.

Well, I’m immune to such cheap rhetoric.

“You’re special, aren’t you?”

In response to the old man’s question, I smirked and answered.

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm?”

“Cut the crap.”

I despise carrots, after all.

“…Crap, you say? That’s quite harsh.”

The old man’s expression changed and he stared at me intently. Though there was no apparent intent to kill, there was a strong, intense aura emanating from his gaze and atmosphere.

But I didn’t back down.

After all, it’s important to make it clear to someone like him in advance.

That I’m not afraid at all of having a difficult relationship with him.

“I didn’t come here to chit-chat with you.”

“Huh…?”

“Enough. If we’re just going to exchange small talk, then send me back. Better yet, make sure I don’t have to come here again.”

The old man seemed taken aback for a moment, then protested, as if feeling wronged.

“Small talk? You were the one who asked what happened to them!”

Ah… That’s true, I guess.

This situation is starting to feel a bit ridiculous.

This situation has gotten a bit comical.

“So, are you saying it’s all my fault?”

Watching a barbarian who farts anywhere and everywhere taught me the importance of trust. A strong belief in oneself shapes confidence and allows one to face any obstacle without flinching.

Therefore…

“No, I’m not saying it’s your fault, but…”

“Apologize.”

I demand it boldly.

“Wait a moment, calm down. What have I done to deserve such sensitivity—”

Even if it’s unreasonable.

Even if I’m not in the body of a barbarian but in the form of Lee Han-soo.

“So, you’re not going to apologize?”

“…Haha, you must think very little of me.”

After repeated demands, the old man’s expression hardened. The surrounding space even started to ripple, which was a very bad sign.

Honestly, it scared the hell out of me.

But…

“Apologize.”

It doesn’t change anything.

So, what if he’s getting serious?

What’s he going to do, kick out the “Original Clear User”?

“Whew… Why are you doing this?”

The old man sighed and asked. The rippling space around us had already calmed down.

As I expected.

It was clear that he was only pretending to be angry to try and turn the situation around.

Ah, maybe he really was angry?

“Why do you keep provoking me? You weren’t this rude the last time we met.”

“You talk as if you know me well.”

I quickly continued.

“And you think I look down on you? You were the one who looked down on me first, weren’t you?”

“What do you mean? I looked down on you—”

“Talking about failures and lack of consideration—did you think I would bow down?”

“…”

Surprisingly, the old man didn’t argue with my words. He could have made excuses, said it was a mistake, or that it wasn’t his intention, but instead, he pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Indeed, you are different from the others…”

“…?”

“I apologize. It was wrong of me to underestimate you. You, who cleared the original that was deemed a failure, is not ordinary. I will be more careful in the future.”

Well, I wasn’t expecting a sincere apology like this.

I had planned to accept a half-hearted apology and gain a slight advantage in the conversation, so this took me by surprise.

‘Or Could this have been his intention all along?’

“…If you say so, I’ll let it slide.”

Normally, I don’t accept empty apologies, but I figured that pushing the barbarian act too far might really destroy our relationship, so I decided to let it go.

The atmosphere softened a little.

“Well then, instead of standing around here, how about we go to the other room and have a drink while we talk? Do you have any preference for tea?”

Isn’t it obvious?

“Soda.”

That’s what I had in mind from the start.

****

Ah, this is it.

This should be the moment where I thought, “Ah, this is the moment.”

Yeah, that’s how it should have been.

But…

“Why does this taste so bland?”

Maybe it’s because I asked for ice?

Clink.

I placed the glass, now only filled with ice, on the table and fell into thought. It’s not that it wasn’t refreshing, but I feel like the carbonation was weaker than before.

It’s clearly less flavorful than the last time I had it.

“Could it be that this old man is holding a grudge…?”

As soon as I came up with a plausible reason, I glanced over at him.

Auril Gavis spoke up.

“Well, I suppose it’s time to get down to business…”

It was a bit funny.

This man isn’t the type to be worried about a small fry like me.

“This must mean that I’m that important to him.”

My treatment has improved, but so has my caution. After all, there’s no one in this world who does something without a reason.

So I set aside my concerns about the plain soda and started thinking.

‘Why is an ‘Original Clear User’ so important?’

Well, I don’t know. Maybe because I have more knowledge about the game than other players?

That’s true, but it’s not enough of a reason.

The old man in front of me is Auril Gavis. In other words, the game creator.

He knows everything I know, and if he needed a knowledgeable player, he could just share the knowledge himself.

So why is he so fixated on me?

“I guess I’ll have to find out now.”

“Ahem, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“Hah! Lost in thought with me sitting right in front of you!”

Auril Gavis seemed incredulous and shook his head in disbelief. But, of course, that disrespectful attitude didn’t last long.

“Sigh, are you starting again?”

“No, it’s just that it’s been a while since I’ve been in such a situation. It’s refreshing.”

“Oh, I see. I almost misunderstood.”

“…Are you a barbarian by any chance?”

Huh?

Oops, did I make it too obvious?

I felt a bit nervous, but I played it off nonchalantly as if I was offended by the absurd question.

“Is that supposed to be a question?”

“No, of course not. Just a joke.”

Judging by his expression, he really seemed to be joking, but I should be more careful from now on.

“Anyway, speaking of questions…”

“Go ahead, don’t worry about it.”

Once I gave my permission, the old man quickly got to the point.

“Before we parted ways last time, we discussed fairness. I’ve been thinking hard about it every day since then—”

“Keep it short and to the point.”

“I’ve created an object that can solve this issue.”

See, it could be summed up in one sentence.

“Hmm, an object?”

“This.”

Auril Gavis pulled out a fist-sized gemstone from his inner pocket instead of elaborating.

It was a very familiar item to me.

“This is…”

No matter how I looked at it, it was unmistakable.

The same gemstone that was embedded in the center of the round table.

Wow, I didn’t know it was created through such a story.

So this old man really is the Master?

“…Do you know what it is?”

“No, it just looks expensive.”

“Expensive… Haha! This is something that cannot be measured in terms of mere material wealth. Ahem, I almost got sidetracked again.”

Auril Gavis, having learned from our previous exchanges, quickly explained the item.

“This is an object created by turning several of my spiritual powers into something physical.”

I didn’t understand the principles at all, but I didn’t bother to ask. It’s not like I would understand even if he explained it anyway.

It’s best to stay quiet when you don’t know something.

“The operation is very simple. If you speak the truth in front of this gemstone, it will light up green, and if you lie, it will light up red. Would you like to test it?”

To be honest, I had already abandoned the thought that it might be fake the moment it appeared, but I didn’t let it show.

After all, he’s practically giving me a free chance to ask a question.

“Auril Gavis, are you over 300 years old?”

I deliberately set a standard.

If I had just asked, “How old are you?” he could have answered with “One year old,” and the gemstone would light up red, and that would be the end of it.

“…I’m not.”

Auril Gavis answered, knowing full well what I intended.

And then…

Swoosh.

The gemstone glowed red.

“It means it was a lie.”

So, he’s over 300 years old?

Given that the Chronicle of the Rift was made 150 years ago, I just threw out a rough number…

What kind of monster is this?

Even though I was shocked inside, I didn’t let it show.

“What do you think? With this, we can ask each other questions without any concerns about fairness, don’t you think?”

“Hmm, but isn’t there a problem? Since you made it, you could control what color the gemstone lights up at will.”

It was a very reasonable suggestion.

Surprisingly, Auril Gavis chose to face it head-on.

“I swear on my name, that’s impossible.”

A vow…

That’s a word that has a lot of meaning for me.

I can’t count how many times someone vowed to me and then stabbed me in the back.

“That’s not very convincing. Maybe if you swore on your parents, I’d believe it.”

“Swear on… my parents?”

“You’re hesitating, so it must have been a lie after all.”

“No! That’s not it! It’s just… the idea was so absurd that I was taken aback. How can I swear on those who are no longer in this world?”

Did he really not expect that a vow on his name wouldn’t carry much weight?

Auril Gavis seemed to ponder for a moment.

“Whether you believe me or not is up to you, but I’ll say this: my vow was true. Now, without this object, I can’t even tell if you’re speaking the truth or lying.”

“Hmm?”

As I tilted my head in confusion, the gemstone glowed green.

“Like I said before, I used a significant portion of my powers to create this object. Now I can’t even read the totality of your soul.”

“The totality of my soul…?”

“I mean, I can’t tell what grade of essence you possess anymore.”

The gemstone glowed green again.

But does this old man realize?

The more he says, the less I trust him.

The more you reveal your weaknesses, the more suspicious it gets…

Are you sure you haven’t tampered with that thing?

As my gaze towards the old man grew more blatant, he sighed and offered a new proposal.

“Do you remember those people you saw that day?”

“The ones you called failures earlier?”

“That’s right. Although I referred to them as failures, they are people who, anywhere else, would be recognized and respected for their names and abilities.”

“Names and abilities… that’s two things.”

“…That was just a figure of speech.”

“Anyway, what’s your point?”

Auril Gavis sighed and made a new suggestion.

“How about we have this conversation in their presence? They may not know everything, but they are more than capable of noticing and challenging any absurd lies I might tell.”

“…What?”

I was genuinely stunned.

Is this some kind of demo version of the Round Table?